Basketball Recap: Hawthorne Comes Up Short

It was a proper cat-fight when Hawthorne challenged Lawndale on Wednesday. The Hawthorne Cougars were dealt a 99-54 loss at the hands of the Lawndale Cardinals. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 759th, while the Cardinals are ranked 293rd).

When it comes to explaining why Hawthorne lost, don't look at Jakobi Smith. Despite the final result, he posted 29 points. The match was Smith's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Alfredo Ramirez was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Hawthorne suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 3-3. As for Lawndale, their victory ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 9-4.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hawthorne and Animo Leadership will compete for holiday cheer at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hawthorne is facing Animo Leadership at the right time seeing as Animo Leadership is stuck on a three-game losing streak. Lawndale will take on Beverly Hills in a holiday battle at at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Beverly Hills will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Lawndale surely won't give up without a fight.